The goldenrod is brown now, and so are most New England asters. Much of nature is shutting down
for the winter.

However, a few plants and animals are still expending some effort to replenish themselves even
in this, the dusk of the year.

One example, which I always notice in October, that nature never completely shuts down is the
milkweed plant. Its pods are breaking open and seeds, on gossamer parachutes, are floating away to
wherever the fall breezes take them.

This is the genesis of new milkweed plants that will sprout in the spring and provide beautiful
pink blooms that butterflies will visit for life-sustaining nectar. Milkweed is also a host plant
for monarch butterflies. They lay their eggs on them, and the resulting caterpillars feed on the
leaves.

I believe that anything that helps butterflies is significant. I am reminded of a line in the
fall edition of the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s magazine
Wild Ohio: “It is said that butterflies go wherever they please and please wherever they
go.”

Another example that life is perpetuated even in the dead of winter is that black bears are now
pregnant. They are going into their winter dens, where they will give birth. The cubs will huddle
against their mothers for warmth and nurse. In the spring, the cubs will emerge with their mothers,
eager to explore their new world.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting that winter will be colder than normal with
below-normal snowfall in our part of Ohio. Nationally, the almanac says that much of the country
will have below-normal temperatures and above-normal snowfall.

As I always do at this time of year, I called AccuWeather to get its winter forecast. Paul
Pastelok, a senior meteorologist there, said we will get 10 or so fewer inches of snow than we got
last winter, when a whopping 41.2 inches fell. Twenty-eight inches is normal for a Columbus winter
season.

He also said we should average about 11/2 degrees above normal temperatures from December
through February. Over the past 30 years, we have averaged 31.6 degrees during that time.

He said the best time to get a near-zero or zero temperature will be late January or early
February, but he doubts it will get that cold this winter. Last winter, the coldest temperature
was